Fire destroys abandoned home

GRAND RONDE — A fire destroyed an abandoned home late Wednesday afternoon at the intersection of Highway 18 and Fire Hall Road.

Submitted photo##The fire spread from the abandoned house to trees surrounding it.

It spread into an expanse of brush and tall grass, and then into surrounding stands of fir and oak, before being brought under control, causing some tense moments.

“It was a scary fire,” said West Valley Fire District spokesperson Connie Cranford-Lain. “Neighbors who live across a grassy field were panicking. They were hosing down their properties.”

She said the two-story, single-family home was fully engulfed when the first firefighters arrived. They not only had to concern themselves with the structure, but with surrounding trees and vegetation, which were already ablaze in hot, dry conditions.

The Sheridan Fire District and Oregon Department of Forestry supplied crews and equipment to assist. In all, five water tenders were assembled.

Cranford-Lain said West Valley officials are trying to determine who owns the site, which lies in Polk County. She said they are also investigating the cause of the fire.